RPS Group rolls out global videoconferencing

Environmental consultancy solves videoconferencing to Australia through SAS Group, BT and Tandberg rollout

RPS rolls out videoconferencing to Australia, courtesy of SAS Group and BT

UK-based environmental consultancy RPS Group has signed a £300,000 contract with managed communications provider SAS Group and BT, to roll out a global videoconferencing system and upgraded WAN infrastructure.

The driver for upgrading the WAN and rolling out videoconferencing worldwide was growth in Europe and North America, and an Australian acquisition.

RPS group IT operations manager Dave Magee said that RPS had used videoconference technology to communicate between London and Australia, but performance levels were "fairly atrocious".

"Telephone conversations would break up, we’d get delays – it was generally pretty poor,” added Magee.

Magee said that RPS got together with SAS Group, Tandberg and BT to demo Tandberg's new videoconferencing equipment working from London to Perth.

“Tandberg showed us what the new equipment was capable of and once they saw
it working from London to Perth, the board was convinced,” said Magee.

The project is scheduled for completion in August 2010, following delivery of international circuits, and if it all goes to plan, RPS hopes to roll out the solution to its North American sites soon after.